Coughlin: Villanova LSM LoCascio Takes Versatility to New Level

Three years ago, Villanova LSM Brian Karalunas took over the lacrosse world by force, setting an NCAA record with 70 caused turnovers while leading his team to its first at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Karalunas’ understudy that season, then-freshman John LoCascio, has since made a name for himself at LSM. The senior two-time captain out of Fairfield, N.J., is the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year and is in the midst of as versatile and dominant season.

Most LSMs in college lacrosse tend to have two main responsibilities: Defense and wing-play on face-offs. LoCascio has broken conventional wisdom this season, contributing to nearly every facet of the game for the Wildcats. In addition to his excellent play on defense and wing-play, LoCascio has provided leadership and positive impact on face-offs, transition, and man up offense. In doing so, he has led the Wildcats (3-1 in conference play) back in the Big East Tournament looking for an AQ.

On the defensive end of the field, LoCascio is most known for his ability to cover one-on-one and put the ball on the turf. That's a major reason why LoCascio was chosen 26th overall by the Rochester Rattlers in the 2014 MLL Collegiate Draft. The long-stick midfielder ranks fifth in the NCAA in caused turnovers, averaging 2.36 per game and is second all-time in his program’s history in that particular department. In 2013, LoCascio led the NCAA DI with 3.79 caused turnovers per game.

“John does a great job all over the field for us,” said Villanova defensive coordinator Andy German. “From a defensive standpoint, he loves to get out and pressure guys so we let him go. He learned a lot from Brian Karalunas who was a senior when John was a freshman and he's gotten better and better every year. He knows that he has the freedom to get out and pressure, just as long as he doesn't get beat, and fortunately for us it doesn't happen very often.”

The Villanova defense as a unit ranks in the top 20 in defensive efficiency in large part due to players like LoCascio and their ability to turn opponents over. The Wildcats are the best team in generating turnovers, with more than 55% of opponent possessions ending with turnovers. The only defense that comes close to Villanova this year is Saint Joseph’s, whose opponents turn it over 50% of the time.

In terms of wing play, LoCascio not only has the ability to pressure opponents if his team loses the draw, but he also has the ability to get the groundball on draws that Villanova controls. He has been a major asset in face-off play along with fellow captains Tom Croonquist and Jimmy Wyatt. LoCascio has collected 20 groundballs for the Wildcats on the wings this season for a unit that ranks 23rd in adjusted face-off percentage. Nearly one out of every five wins for face-off specialist Croonquist is thanks to a LoCascio groundball.

While the statistics may not show it, LoCascio has been a valuable asset at the face-off X as well. An example: in Saturday’s contest when Rutgers face-off specialist Joseph Nardella, who has the best face-off percentage of any player in DI right now, was beating Villanova at the X. LoCascio was brought in to face Nardella. He managed to force Nardella into two straight face-off violations, helping his team to break even in terms of possessions and win the contest 15-11.

What truly makes his 2014 season special is the impact the senior captain has had in transition and man up, demonstrating just how versatile he can be.

So far this season, Villanova has an offensive efficiency of 36% in unsettled situations (compared to the national average of 34%), having scored 17 goals. LoCascio has been credited for a goal or an assist on 42% of these goals. In unsettled situations, the long-stick midfielder is shooting 50%.

LoCascio also displayed this versatility when associate head coach Simon Connor asked him to be on the man-up unit.

Villanova, whose man-up unit ranked top three in the nation each of the past two years, lost the majority of its pieces to graduation in 2013. Only Kevin O’Neil (Villanova’s other 2014 MLL Collegiate Draft selection) is left from the unit that converted on 49% of its opportunities each of the past two seasons.

When the unit sputtered in its first game of 2014 against Lehigh, it was none other than LoCascio who came in, making him a rare long-stick who plays both man up and man down at the DI level.

At first there was speculation around the decision to move LoCascio to man up.

“The first few times we practiced with LoCascio on man up the entire defense, thinking he had lost his loyalty to defense, would jokingly boo him every time he touched the ball,” said coach Mike Corrado. “This only last a few days until they realized how well he was doing in this role.”

He has since scored two goals and five assists on EMO opportunities.

“I don’t want to overreact to every game-to-game statistical variation, but 1/11 is pretty terrible and without a doubt cost us the (Lehigh) game,” said Connor. “We needed to make changes and LoCascio’s addition has made the most impact. He has terrific hands, throws hard passes, has a good understanding of his role, and gives us a huge advantage on a ride should we turn it over.”

Since joining the unit, LoCascio has gotten a point on over a 40% of the man-up goals for the Wildcats, who have converted on 43% of their opportunities, ranking as one of the best marks in DI during that time.

In addition to these accomplishments, LoCascio has been a leader on and off the field. The two-time captain is a finalist for the Senior Class Award, an accolade that honors the attributes of NCAA DI senior student-athletes in four areas: Community, classroom, character and competition.

“John’s greatest asset is his work ethic,” said Corrado. “Whether it’s on the field or in the classroom, he strives to be the best. He is as versatile a player as I have ever coached. It allows our staff to use him in so many ways.”

For a senior that has not seen the NCAA tournament since that freshman year as an understudy to Karalunas, a return to the Big Dance would help solidify the 2014 preseason first-team All-American’s place as among the game’s dominant LSMs. Regardless of where this 2014 Villanova team ends up, LoCascio has helped elevate his program to new levels and has, in the process, likely made some MLL general managers regret letting him fall to 26 in the collegiate draft.

Brian welcomes your questions and thoughts. He can be contacted by email at briancoughlinil@gmail.com and on Twitter @Brian_Coughlin1.